There is a new addition to your child's lunch menu that could affect students with peanut or soy allergies. Chartwells is serving a bean salad that contains legumes, as part of their menu. It will be offered weekly and the beans are a combination of any 3 of these: navy, black, kidney or garbanzo (chick peas). It is offered as a choice between a piece of fruit, some veggies or the bean salad. This addition to the menu is being mandated by the RI Department of Education. Please ensure that your child with a peanut or soy allergy does not take the bean salad as one of their choices.

A child's health is important to the child, the parent*, and the school staff. To achieve our common goal of keeping your child as healthy as possible, policies and procedures have been compiled regarding health issues.

Every child entering a Rhode Island school is required to have a physical examination and vision screening by a doctor. The state also requires proof from your doctor that the child has received certain immunizations before entering school. These requirements are 5 DPT, 4 Polio, 2 MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella), 2 Varicella and 3 HepB. The second MMR must have been given after the child's fourth birthday. Documentation with the full date - day, month, and year - including a doctor's signature is required for each immunization.

A dental examination is required every year. Yellow dental cards are provided for all kindergarten registrants. All other students must fill out a health history form with the dental information. The only way the school nurse knows that the child has been examined by a dentist is if the parent returns the completed health history form. If proper documentation is not received, the child will be examined by the school dentist. If a parent is not sure whether or not the school nurse has received thisinformation, please contact the nurse at the school.

All children in Grades K, 1, 2 and 3 have a hearing screening done at school, according to the Rhode Island State law. If any child fails two screenings, a form letter is mailed home, informing the parent of the situation. If you receive such a letter, please have him/her examined by your own doctor or an audiologist. The Rhode Island State Hearing Center at the Rhode Island School for the Deaf will do thescreening at no cost. The completed form should be returned to the school nurse, so the results can be recorded in the child's health records.

All children in grades 1-4 will have a vision screening annually. If the child fails twice, a form letter is mailed home informing the parent of the situation. If you receive such a letter, please follow up with an eye doctor and return the form to the school nurse.

Periodic screening for pediculosis (head lice) is performed. If the school nurse finds evidence of head lice, the child will be sent home for the parent to administer treatment. (Family doctors, the school nurse, and pharmacists can provide treatment advice.) Upon completion of this treatment and before the child is allowed back in school, he/she must be re-examined by the school nurse. Please call the school nurse if you suspect head lice, so thatother children in the classroom can be checked.

Sometimes medications need to be given during school hours. Certain procedures must be followed to ensure the safety of all children. No prescription medication will be given without parental and physician signatures, No over-the-counter products will be given without parental authorization for administration. Relevant side effects and all other specificinformation must be filled out by the child's parent and the child's physician. Forms may be obtained from the school nurse. Cough drops, for example, should not be sent to school with your child. The child could easily choke if s/he took one while at recess. If necessary, bring cough drops to the school nurse who will dispense them to the child.

If your child needs to be on prescription medication in school, please follow these guidelines:

PRESCRIPTION ORDER - When you go to the doctor, have the doctor write an order or fill out the school form for school that can be left with the school nurse.

LABELED PRESCRIPTION CONTAINER -At the pharmacy, ask for an extra container for school with complete prescription label on it.

PERMISSION SLIP - Medical needs should be included on the medical permission slip

PERSONAL ADULT DELIVERY - Parent/guardian MUST bring the medication into school personally, do not send with child.

Thank you for your cooperation in following these health precautions to protect your child and other children from illnesses. We know it can be difficult for working parents to have a sick child at home.

Achild's ability to learn, perform and behave can depend on how a child feels physically. The environment in a school setting in and of itself is one cause of illness. Another factor is ill children being sent to school and exposing others to contagious diseases.

We ask that sick children remain at home if their illness is contagious and could cause illness in other children. We ask your cooperation by calling school and informing the nurse of that illness as soon as possible so we can detect similar illnesses in others sooner.

If your child becomes ill at school, the nurse will call you to pick him/her up. If your child has special medical or health problems, please inform the school nurse.

TEMPERATURE - Your child MUST remain home if he/she has an elevated temperature. Doctors recommend that your child be fever-free, without medication, for 24 hours before returning to school.

DIARRHEA - Diarrhea which cannot be controlled. Students should be free of diarrhea symptoms for 24 hours before coming to school.

VOMITING - Your child must not have vomited for 24 hours prior to returning to school.

CONTAGIOUS DISEASES - Your child must remain home when he/she shows symptoms of a contagious disease such as strep throat, conjunctivitis (pink eye), impetigo, ringworm, and head lice, to name a few. Please feel free to call the school nurse if you have any questions.

NASAL DISCHARGE - If your child has copious, continuous, uncontrollable greenish-yellow nasal discharge, this increases the risk of exposure and illness to other children and staff, please keep your child at home.

It is most important that you complete your child's Emergency Contact Form and return it to the school. Keep the information on the form current, so that the school staff can easily contact the appropriate authorized persons if your child becomes ill or is hurt while in school. For the safety of all children, the child will be released only to those people listed on the emergency form.